Lauren Heinen was sworn in Tuesday as the new district attorney for Jeff Davis Parish, becoming the first female to hold the position.

Heinen, 32, a practicing attorney and former criminal defense attorney, was sworn in by her aunt Judge Jacquelyne Heinen during a brief ceremony attended by family, friends and staff. Her maternal grandmother Patricia Augustine held the family Bible.

“Everybody that is here has had a part of this incredible, historical journey – one that I did not think would be a part of my life, but was placed in my heart,” Heinen said saying she was grateful for her  family, friends and volunteers who worked with her to win the election.

“It is something so much bigger than one person. So much bigger than one office. It’s about our community, a community very important to me. It’s where my family is and where I hope they will stay.”

First District Attorney Alexander J. Guinn and Assistant District Attorney Torrie Thibodeaux also took their oath during the ceremony which included a moment of silence offered by Judge Steve Gunnell to remember district attorney Kevin Millican who died last July.

Heinen said she is looking forward to the next chapter of her life and what God has planned for her.

“I hope to continue to forge ahead in the path laid out for me,” she said.

After the ceremony, Heinen told the American Press she is ready to get to work and has her staff in place. The staff includes staff from the previous administration and newly appointed staff.

“We need to recover from the backlog of cases and we have a lot of budget issues that need to be addressed,” she said. “It is important that we make sure we are getting the revenues we need coming in.”

She said for the last few years, the District Attorney’s Office appears to have been spending more money than it was actually bringing in.

Heinen said she also plans to implement new technology to handle caseloads, speed up access to information and improve overall efficiency.

Heinen was elected the district attorney March 26 after leading the three-way race with 58 percent of the votes over interim District Attorney Elliott Cassidy who drew 35 percent of the votes. Public defender Daniel Sparks received 8 percent of the votes.

She will serve until 2026.